An Eye for Crimson
by Sorceress Myst
Summary: A prequel to the lemon Curious Obsession. Airyglyph’s first attack on Arias allowed Albel the Wicked to meet his crimson haired Aquarian for the first time. A long AlbelNel oneshot with a bit of mature content through Albel’s POV


Hey everyone! Welcome to my third Alnel one-shot! Warning: there is supposed to be lemon in here, but I've cut it out to keep it clean enough here. If you want to uncut version, go to my author profile and click on the Alnel Lemons link near bottom of my profile. Still...I think the mild gore in here still qualifies this story as an 'M'

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3 or any of its characters. They are the property of SquareEnix.

An Eye for Crimson

By: Sorceress Myst

Weak! Every last one of them! Barely any of the Aquarian worms had good fighting abilities. The only advantage they had over the Black Brigade was runology, but that was useless in close combat. The Black Brigade attacked Arias at the crack of dawn, hitting them by surprise, but even if they weren't expecting an attack, at least _some_ of them could have been capable enough to defend their fort. At least that's what Albel the Wicked thought as he cut an Aquarian soldier's head clean off of his body with his claw.

He backed away from the corpse and examined the battlefield. Some of his troops had broken through the walls and had started destroying parts of the small village while the rest took care of the runologists and soldiers. Albel was almost certain that Aquaria held an all female army, but had found that there were some males in there after all. In fact, it seemed that all the female soldiers that were present had already been slain. The only warriors left fighting his army were men and they were barely fending off the knights. Albel quickly grew bored from the lack of worthy opponents and mounted his Lum to watch his soldiers finish up.

Off in the distance, close to the gates, he detected a red haired warrior taking on five Black Brigade soldiers at once and was wining. It was enough to impress Albel the Wicked. He directed his Lum towards the area to get a closer look at the warrior, and maybe take him on himself. He was soon surprised to find that the fighter was not a 'he' but a 'she'. She managed to break through the circle his men had tried to trap her in and brought down even more soldiers with her daggers. Half of the maiden's face was covered in blood that matched the color of her shoulder length hair and there was an angry fire in her deep green eyes, most likely from seeing her people being slaughtered. He was so mesmerized by her form and the way she fought that he almost forgot that he needed to call off his men soon. After all, the message has been relayed; Airyglyph has declared war on Aquaria. There was no more reason to stay.

Albel raised his sword in the air, alerting the Black Brigade to fall back and retreat to Kirlsa. The soldiers that were about to try to attack the warrior maiden suddenly turned tail and fled from her in fear once they received the signal. If there was anything Albel despised more than weak maggots it was definitely weak maggots who fled from battle. Members of the Back Brigade were taught to force themselves to fight otherwise they would be on the receiving end of the Wicked One's claw and/or sword if they ran away. The red head didn't bother to strike the fleeing soldiers as she tried to catch her breath. She only swept her gaze across the horrific battleground before resting her sight upon Albel. He stared back at her with emotionless eyes, before he redirected his Lum towards Kirlsa. The wench had distracted him enough for one day.

The march back home was relatively silent for an army that just returned from combat with only a few casualties. But unfortunately for Albel, it wasn't silent enough as his second in command trotted over to him. He was known as Shelby the Heavy-Handed and had a good reputation in fighting abilities (though Albel could defeat him easily) and in his great weight. It was a wonder how the beast he rode hadn't fallen from his huge stature, one could bet that not even the king's dragon, Oddeye, could carry the knight so easily.

"Captain!" he called out once he was beside Albel, "Are you sure it's wise to pull back so soon?"

Albel the Wicked and Shelby the Heavy-Handed never did agree with each other, but it didn't really matter since Albel's orders were absolute unless they were orders from the king, "Of course I think it's wise, the king ordered us to only devastate Arias not conquer it. This was only a simple mission to prove to those Aquarian fools that Airyglyph is serious in declaring war."

"But we let too many of them live, we should go back and finish them off while they're still weak!" he argued before Albel glared at him.

"I don't know about you, worm," he started as he held up his crimson coated gauntlet, "But I killed at least fifty of those maggots and I'm sure the troops did their fair share of damage. If we killed them all, then who would report to their queen? "

Shelby shut his mouth and silently agreed with him for now before pulling back to check on the troops. They were almost there to Kirlsa and after a short break to recuperate, they would march on to Airyglyph. Albel's thoughts began to wander back to the crimson haired maiden as the town gates came into view.

* * *

"So did you leave the villagers alone?" Woltar asked as he carefully sat down at his desk, a few bones creaking in protest. Albel only rolled his eyes from his seat across from him.

"Of course I left them alone, old man. Who do you think I am? That warmonger Vox?"

"Calm down, boy. There is no need to be upset. I only asked you a simple question, that's all," Woltar chuckled while sifting through some papers, "I heard rumors that Nevelle Zelpher's daughter was present at the battle. Did you see her?"

That dagger wielding Aquarian first came to his mind, but then he figured that any one of those slain soldiers could have been her too, "How the hell should I know? I don't know what the worm looks like."

"Hmm, I see…" he thought about it for a while, "If young Nel takes after her father, then she probably has blazing red hair and maybe violet eyes, or green eyes from her mother…"

So she was the brat of the warrior that Woltar had slain long ago in his youth. Albel glanced away from the old man as his eyes narrowed at the thought of the woman.

"I have seen someone with red hair, that must've been her," he admitted before crossing his arms, "She seemed like the only capable fighter Aquaria has to offer."

A contemplating look crossed over Woltar's aged features, alerting Albel that he was going to let out a long boring lecture about the past.

"Nevelle Zelpher…was Aquaria's best spy and warrior. They've always assumed that he had gone missing after I had taken his life back then and grieved for months over his disappearance, all except Nel. She never cried, but she grieved for only a day before she picked up one of her father's old daggers and began training so she could take over her father's job…"

Albel was only mildly interested in the old coot's story, but he'd rather be outside killing monsters or something. But as he was about to stand up, Woltar's eyes landed upon him.

"…Apparently Nel has indeed picked up in her father's footsteps and if she is as good as spy as Nevelle was then she may already be heading to Airyglyph to gather intelligence for her country. You better be alert, boy, she may be after you, searching for any weaknesses you may have. She maybe after me as well or even Vox."

"Hmph, I won't be outsmarted by Aquarian scum. The maggot is probably not even a threat."

"Even so, be careful. Crimson Blades are trained assassins as well as spies, should she be ordered to, she may catch you at a vulnerable moment and end your life," he warned. Albel didn't reply to that because he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, that Nel girl was most likely the type to challenge someone head on rather than attacking while her target was asleep. But then again, he really didn't know much about her, except for what Woltar had just told him.

Woltar's gaze traveled down to the wooden top of his desk, at the area above one of his drawers where the Blades of Ryusen were kept. He opened his mouth to perhaps tell another story, but ended up closing it before he let out a sigh. Albel had long since gotten fed up with him and was already near the door.

"I wonder," Woltar began. Albel's hand froze at the doorknob as he waited for the old man to finish, "…I wonder what Glou would have done, were he alive then and in my shoes. Would he have slain Nevelle, even if they used to be close friends?"

Albel left without even saying his farewells and slammed the door behind him. He didn't want to be reminded of his father right now and he didn't care about the Zelpher maggot. But despite how much he told himself that he didn't care, an image of her from the skirmish kept reappearing in his mind.

* * *

Days, weeks, and months had passed since the first conflict and Aquaria was still resisting Airyglyph. The Aquarians were holding up better in the war than what the Glyphians had originally thought. Duke Vox and his Dragon Brigade started to take up most of the fighting, leaving the Black Brigade to simple guard duty at the palace. While Vox had seen many victories, he had also seen defeats from the runologists as had Woltar's Storm Brigade in the rare times they were commissioned. It took all of Woltar's convincing to keep Albel from pointing out to Vox that his army had nearly annihilated the Aquarians when it had been sent to fight in Arias, lest another argument between the two arose.

King Airyglyph XIII had always favored Albel and thought of him as a son, but Vox had some influence over him and always pressured the king to take actions that he wouldn't normally agree to. Simply put, Vox had more power over him and if Albel kept arguing with him, then he would tell the king that the young captain was getting soft-hearted and that he cared more about the Aquarians than Airyglyph. It was only a matter of time before Vox accused him of treason, but thankfully, Albel listened to Woltar's advice and was safe for the time being.

As for Nel Zelpher, Albel had seen her every once in a while from the window in his room in the castle. Because of her hair, she was hard to miss and yet she was never caught. He considered reporting the many times he briefly saw her in the crowds of commoners, but then figured that they'd probably think he was going crazy because she would be completely gone from sight afterwards and no one else had reported a red haired girl walking in the streets. On some days he'd wander the streets, hoping to run into her so he could challenge her to a fight. Ever since he had seen her in Arias, he wanted to see if she was as good a warrior as he thought. Unfortunately, his search came up empty and before he knew it, his excuse to see her changed from wanting to fight with her, to wanting to talk to her, and finally to just wanting to see her up close. He couldn't figure out why he wanted to see her so badly, but then realized that he must have been bored and with Vox taking away all the action of the battlefield, he really had nothing to do but train.

Woltar and the king soon noticed his strange behavior and became worried. After all, it was not often that Albel journeyed outside of the castle, away from the training grounds. Plus, the people outside of the palace were getting nervous from his frequent visits due to his usually cold personality. King Arzei eventually figured it out and told Woltar of his suspicions, but didn't know Albel was in hearing range.

"I believe I know why he's acting so strange," the king began, catching Woltar's attention completely.

"Do you sire? Please do tell," he encouraged. Albel didn't make his presence known as he had decided to eavesdrop. What business was it of theirs to wonder about his life?

"I think young Albel has become smitten with a lady."

His wine colored eyes widened as he held back the urge to growl in fury. How dare he think such things! Like he'd waste his breath on women who would probably scream themselves to death over seeing a dead mouse on the ground, what an absurd thought. He would have stormed in by now to strangle and cut a few throats, but the fact that it was the king talking about him and the fact that he was supposed to be scouting the Traum Mountains for any new monsters kept him back.

"Knowing that boy's love for the heat of battle, such an accusation doesn't seem possible," Woltar said, calming Albel down a bit. It appeared that there was at least _someone_ out there with good sense.

"But," the aged captain continued, "instead of looking for fights, he has been wandering the streets as if searching for someone. And there is no denying that he has the look of a love stuck man when he is staring out the windows."

That made him snap. _That's_ what they were going on about? And they think he is in love? With that Aquarian wench? True, he did have a lot of respect for her because of her admirable ability to move on so soon after loosing her father and for her skills in battle, but he certainly did _not_ have any affection towards her! Love struck, what rubbish! If anything, he was bored. Yeah, that's it, he was bored. He had not seen a real battle for months and his own troops were not much of a challenge. Trying to find the Aquarian spy entertained him enough to keep himself from mercilessly slaughtering the people around him. Speaking of a slaughter, he might as well go accomplish the task he has been ordered to, before he was discovered. Maybe shredding the monsters into several bloody pieces would make him forget about the king and Woltar's conversation.

Before he could even reach the town, his sword was already out and a sinister glare was on his face. The minute he stepped outside the palace, people immediately cleared the streets so no one would be in his way. It seemed the monsters out in the Traum Mountains also sensed his ire and kept hidden from view as he stormed the snowy trail. He traveled all the way to Kirlsa without any problems. Deeming his 'mission' as a waste of time, he started heading back to Airyglyph.

"Lady Nel!" a feminine voice called out in the distance, making him freeze in place. It sounded like it came from behind the large bolder near the side of the path. Did that person say Nel?

"Good to see you are safe Tynave," another woman replied, "What did you find today?"

"Nothing much, but the Black Brigade seems to be getting restless, especially their captain. They may try to pressure the king to lead some of the attacks, though after remembering what they did to Arias, I hope they don't succeed."

Spies. So this is where Zelpher runs off to. Albel continued to stay still as he listened to more of their conversation.

"Hmm…But it would be a great advantage to us if the Black Brigade and the Dragon Brigade had a conflict with each other," Nel said after a brief pause, "Farleen, do you have anything to report?"

Yet another woman, with a higher pitched voice was then heard, "Yes I do, Lady Nel. The king seems to be worried about the Black Brigade captain and is spending most of his time trying to figure out what's wrong with him than worrying about the war right now."

Can't they just say Nox or even Albel the Wicked? Some spies they are, if they can figure out his name. But then again, maybe they were afraid to say it.

"Why are they worried over him? Is he falling ill?" the spies' leader inquired. Albel fought back the urge to snort in amusement. Ill? They wish.

"No, it's as Tynave says, he's restless. Apparently that's a bad omen for the king and I don't blame him. The captain always has that evil look in his eye…"

It wasn't long before his curiosity got the better of him and he started to carefully approach the area where the voices were coming from so he could see the spies. But even the light crunching of snow under his boot was enough to alert them.

"Someone's coming!" Nel whispered to the others, "Go!"

He didn't bother to stop now that they knew he was coming. Once he was past the boulder, he found a small clearing that had two sets of footprints heading towards Airyglyph and another set that lead to a crevice in the rock wall lining the clearing. He was certain it was Zelpher hiding in there. He could almost feel her gaze on him as he walked to the center of the area. What was she going to do? Sit there and watch him, or would she confront him? She surely must hate him enough to want to attack him. After all, he killed a lot of her comrades in Arias. He was tempted to say something to her, letting her know that he knew she was there. But then a monster finally appeared before he could.

A kobold knight charged up behind him and was about to bite down on his shoulder when he turned and caught the creature by its head with his claw. The monster thrashed about wildly as it tried to get its head free from his grasp, but Albel slowly let the tips of his claw sink into the kobold knight's skin before he effortlessly crushed the skull completely. The body fell to the ground followed by the fragments of its head as the snow underneath the monster turned crimson. It wasn't much of a fight for Albel, he hadn't even needed to pull out his sword. He glanced at his gauntlet, now covered in the same color as the snow beneath the carcass. A deadly yet beautiful shade of red, like her hair…

He almost let out a growl of frustration as he fisted his claw. Damn wench, always crawling into his thoughts. He then snapped his attention to where the Crimson Blade was probably hiding, watching his every move. It was now or never. It was time to confront her and put an end to all torture his mind went through every time it wandered-

"M'lord!" Albel shook with anger as one of his subordinates ran up to him.

"What is it, maggot?" he snapped, making the knight flinch.

"The king has summoned you," he announced while bowing respectfully. Albel rolled his eyes. It was probably another monotonous chore to keep him busy.

"What now? Does he want me to feed his dragon?"

"No, Duke Vox has returned and His Majesty is holding a conference."

"Bah." He took one last look towards the crevice. His prey was so close and he might not get another chance, but whatever he wanted to do when he finally found Zelpher couldn't be done now with other worms present. Without another word, he followed the soldier back to Airyglyph castle.

It turned out that Vox had finally gotten hit by a runologist's spell and was forced to rest for awhile. As a result, the king ordered Albel and his Black Brigade to stand by at the Kirlsa Training Facility while half of the Dragon Brigade stayed to protect Airyglyph. The Storm Brigade and the rest of Vox's army took up most of the fighting from then on.

* * *

Albel lost track of the time that had passed since he had been sent to the training facility, but at least he wasn't as bored as before. He was involved in more missions like scouting along the border for enemy camps with his troops. Sometimes he found a few armies waiting for their order to strike and was mildly entertained by destroying them. He even had the opportunity to fight Clair Lasbard, but even if the fight had been better than what he had gotten from her subordinates, he had managed to almost defeat her before she used runology to escape from battle.

After a few months at his new post, Albel finally found the real reason he had been sent here. Besides being stationed there to keep watch over the border, he had also been sent so he wouldn't 'abandon his duties' by courting his so-called 'love interest'. Though his self-appointed guardians did not mind the fact that he showed signs of wanting to start a relationship (because he was at the age where we should marry and produce an heir for Airyglyph's future), they did not want his feelings for a woman to affect his abilities in battle. Despite the fact that he wasn't in love with anyone, he felt like thanking Nel because the misunderstanding had gotten him out of Airyglyph. He was even willing to thank her gods that Vox hadn't gotten wind of the false rumor. The duke would certainly have a good laugh if he were to think that Albel's heart was taken by a delicate lady of the court.

As the days dragged on he started to think about Nel less and less, but there was one thing that kept her image stuck in his mind; blood, or rather anything red. Every time he took down a monster or an Aquarian, the first vision he had of her would appear in his mind. It wasn't a guilty image that was taunting his conscious for murdering her people. It was just that in his mind, red represented her, probably because he always searched for red hair in the crowded Glyphian streets. Albel soon accepted the fact that he wanted to meet Nel just because he was fascinated by her, but not attracted to her. After all, she was really good at sneaking into his country without being sighted by his comrades and every report about her he heard from Glyphian spies only fueled the intrigue. Nel hadn't even finished her training and yet she was rumored to be the best fighter since Adray Lasbard and her father, Nevelle. It made him more eager to face her on the battlefield.

After a period of many victories over Aquaria, news had arrived that the Aquarians were developing a runological weapon that could greatly change the course of the war in their favor, but it seemed that they still had to do a lot more research before the weapon could be of any use to them. Either way, Airyglyph wasn't too concerned, at least not until a strange object fell from sky and crashed into Airyglyph. Rumors about it belonging to the Aquarians spread like wildfire across the kingdom, much faster than the summons from the king that Albel had received two days later.

Without delay, he immediately set out for Airyglyph, curious about the 'strange lump of metal' that had fallen from the sky. When he arrived on the same day he received the message, he was only able to see billowing smoke from the site before Vox's abominable soldiers ordered him to go away. The first person to greet him inside the palace was Woltar as he flashed a knowing grin towards him.

"If it isn't Albel, it feels like I haven't seen you in ages. I'm surprised to see you here so soon, though I'm sure you have your…reasons."

Albel only rolled his eyes at him. He was in no mood to correct the confused old man about the fact that he was not smitten with anyone in Airyglyph. He settled for glaring at him, but that only confirmed Woltar's belief. Not long after his meeting with Woltar, Vox appeared and the conference began. It seemed that there were two men, most likely Aquarians, riding in that thing, but they had refused to speak thus far. Woltar and Vox continuously argued over how to retrieve the information they wanted from the prisoners. Albel insisted that all they needed to do is find out if the men were enemies and volunteered to take care of them only to have the two captains stare at him before continuing the argument. Arzei eventually stopped them and ordered Vox to continue with his investigation and for Woltar and Albel to return to their posts.

The meeting was a complete waste of time in Albel's opinion. He was called over to Airyglyph only to be ordered to return back to Kirlsa. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately as Albel was about to find out, it was getting close to nightfall so he had no choice but to stay the night and leave first thing in the morning. He started heading towards his room when suddenly a maid walked past him. Normally, that was nothing new, but there was something different about the maid. He was fairly certain that she was new because there were no red haired maids around the castle before. It was Nel.

She seemed to be looking for something as he quietly followed her. She must be here to free the crewmembers and was searching for the dungeon. Albel was in for a large surprise when she suddenly went into his room. It was too perfect. So perfect, that he suspected that she had done it on purpose to attack him. He placed his good hand on his sword, before he pushed open the door with his claw. There was no one there. Albel relaxed as he went in and examined his room. He could have sworn he had seen her come in, but then again, maybe he was going crazy.

Suddenly he tensed up when he sensed something moving at the other side of the room and raised his good hand up in time to catch a slender wrist. The 'maid' was hoping to rush past him to escape. He quickly pulled her in front of him so he could get a good look at her face. Her eyes showed no sign of fear or hate and her face was calm as she slowly faced him. There was no deigning that she was indeed Nel Zelpher. Her face matched the image in his head except now it wasn't covered in blood.

"I…I'm sorry m'lord, I was assigned to tidy up Duke Vox's room and got lost," she said, making him realize that he was doing nothing but staring at her. He finally released her wrist, but she made no move to run away. He was blocking her only escape. Something stirred inside him at the sound of her voice, and his cheeks felt warm.

"Bah…" he finally let out, but couldn't think of what else to say. She was here right in front of him and yet he didn't know what to do. She would most likely fight him if he told her he knew who she was and for once, he didn't want that. What would happen if he were to win? Kill her? Take her hostage? Send her to the dungeon?

"Foolish wench," he muttered as he walked past her, "You went too far, his room is five doors back."

"Thank you…" she replied, dropping the Glyphian accent. He didn't look back at her as she left and closed the door behind her. The last thing he should have done was to let an enemy go free yet that is just what he had done. He should have at least questioned her, but then again, it wasn't like words were coming to his mouth anyway. He convinced himself that there would be other opportunities to satisfy his curiosity.

He briefly wondered why she was searching for Vox's room. Was she going to assassinate him? He hoped not. After all, if there ever was a chance, Albel wanted to be the one to destroy Vox. If anything, she had probably lied to him so she could get out and go save her companions in the dungeon. He let out a sigh before he prepared for bed. Albel was satisfied that the prisoners were no threat to the war effort even if Nel did help them escape. He removed his armor, gauntlet, shirt, and boots before he headed over to his window to open the shutters and let the cold air in. He didn't like the cold, but thanks to the nightmares he frequently had, he needed something to cool him down when he awakened, covered in sweat.

Later that night, Albel awakened to see a figure at his window. The moonlight shone upon the figure's body, making the stranger glow. He slowly sat up and pushed the blankets aside. Why did she return? He had let her go… He suddenly noticed how the moonlight illuminated the curves on her body and revealed how form-fitting that maid uniform was. He swallowed before he realized what he was doing.

"What are you doing here Zelpher?" he blurted out. She gasped slightly and faced him with a surprised look on her face. She was either surprised that he was awake or that he knew who she was.

"…I…," she began before she bolted towards the door, but he was there in an instant to cut off her escape.

"I'm not letting you off the hook this time, Zelpher," he grinned. She backed away slightly as a frown formed on her features.

"So what are you going to do to me?"

"Hn, since you are a spy, the most logical thing to do would be to turn you in or kill you," he answered as he brought his good hand up to caress the smooth skin of her cheek and then ran it through the silky tresses of her red hair. She slapped his hand away as her eyes narrowed. She had plenty of time to pull out her weapons and fight her way out so why hasn't she? Albel noticed that the maid uniform must have made it impossible for her to carry daggers with her, so she didn't have them. How careless of her.

"But," he continued, more amused than angry with her, "Killing you seems like such a waste and I don't feel like dragging you to the dungeon. Maybe I will let you go…for a price."

There was something about the way her eyes darkened with anger as she glared at him that made him want her. He couldn't figure out why he desired her all of a sudden, but then supposed that he had always lusted for her and kept it bottled away. She caught on to what he wanted and deepened her furious look as she lowered her head slightly.

"You're despicable…" she growled, but didn't back away as he drew closer. He chuckled at her words before bringing his metal hand to the back of her neck and roughly pressed his lips against hers. She made no attempt to push him away, nor did she respond to the kiss. He gently brought his other hand to trail down her spine, earning a gasp from her. He quickly slipped his tongue inside and explored every inch of her mouth as he guided her to his bed...

Suddenly Albel sat straight up, as if he had a nightmare. He was completely soaked in sweat as he looked around his empty room. It was all a dream… He grimaced at the mess on his blankets and moved them aside before he climbed out of bed to change into a new set of clothes. He had never thought of a woman in that way, though he was sure that he wasn't the first one to fantasize about the enemy, considering that most of the Aquarian army consisted of women. His body still felt overheated as he walked over to the window to look outside. The night sky was getting lighter, meaning that it was close to morning.

Albel brought his hand up to wipe away the remaining sweat that lingered on his face as the vision of Nel's beautiful features faded away from his imagination. Wait? Beautiful? Sure she was attractive, but did he really think she was beautiful? The new thoughts made his mind go numb. He couldn't be falling for her, could he? She was the enemy! …But…out of all the women he could have developed affections for, at least Nel wasn't a fragile beauty that needed constant protecting. If only there was a woman in Airyglyph like her…

Albel sighed as the sun rose only to be hidden behind dark clouds that threatened to release more snow unto the city. His gaze swept over the early risers as they slowly began to fill the streets down below before he shifted his vision towards the entrance of the Airyglyph aqueducts. Once upon a time, when he was a little boy, he used to have a pet crab that his father forced him to get rid of because they were known to grow large over time. He ended up disobeying his father and secretly kept the critter within the palace walls until it escaped into the aqueducts. Even now he wondered what ever became of that crab…

Suddenly he spied a figure walking out of the aqueducts and scanned the area before the figure signaled behind her for two men to come out. It was Nel in her normal outfit followed by the prisoners. So he was right in thinking that she was there to rescue them. They all seemed tired, like they had just came out of a battle as the blue haired maggot looked like he was arguing with Nel. Albel couldn't hear them from where he was, but he was able to read their lips and discovered that the men were not Aquarians, but engineers from Greeton. He watched on as the displeased looking Aquarian walked away with the two worms following her, the larger one with a dopey grin on his face while the other seemed reluctant and worried.

* * *

Albel returned to his post and focused his free time on his new found feelings for the red haired warrior. He knew that it was clearly one-sided and that as long as the war was going on, there was no chance that he could do anything about it. He knew that she must hate him as much as he hated himself. He had been getting more and more frustrated as the days went by. Every night he'd either be visited by his usual nightmare or haunted by erotic dreams that seemed to get hotter and hotter the more he thought about Nel.

He never left the training facility as he tried to pay more attention to his training so he could keep his thoughts at bay. One day he was called out by Vox to meet him near Kirlsa so he could challenge him to a fight. Usually Albel jumped for challenges from Vox since he wanted to beat his face in, but he was reluctant to leave because Shelby had been rather disobedient of late. A Menodix could figure out that it was a set up to get him out of the training facility, but he went along with it anyway. The only way he could figure out what Vox was up to was to go see first hand why he wanted him out so badly.

He ended up fighting Vox for most of the day until Woltar ordered them to stop. When he returned to the facility, he found that Shelby had disobeyed him and was keeping the spies Vox had caught hostage so he could capture the men from Greeton. Now his second in command lay dead at the feet of Zelpher and the two bumbling engineers. He was impressed with them, not many could take on Shelby the Heavy-Handed and walk away with only a few scratches. He confronted them and was pleased to hear that Nel did know a lot about him as she explained to the two maggots who he was. He was sure he was going to have another naughty dream that night because he liked the way his name sounded when she had said it. He could only imagine how it would sound when if he had her underneath him in bed… He quickly brought himself back to reality to deal with the trespassers.

He heard rumors about the engineers' capabilities in battle and figured that with Nel fighting with them, they were a force to be reckoned with. But they seemed tired and he was too, thanks to Vox, so he released them, but not without getting a rise out of the large, blonde maggot and a grateful yet wary look from Nel. It wasn't long before he saw them again a week later.

He was off scouting the borders near the Bequerel Mountain Path and Arias at the time. True, the area was under the Dragon Brigade's jurisdiction, but Vox had been sending more men to the caves as of late and that made Albel a bit curious. Ever since he had let Nel and the others get away, Vox was displeased with him more than usual and prevented him from getting any information from the spies. This left him in the dark about any new developments with the war and the enemy. He searched around the path for a long time, but didn't find anything suspicious until a wagon filled with copper tried to rush past them.

His men managed to stop the wagon and revealed that the drivers were not only Aquarians, but subordinates serving under Nel. The two women, of course, refused to give up the copper, leaving Albel to take care of them. He was able to defeat them easily, without the help of his men and was rewarded soon after when Nel showed up with a furious attitude. Albel finally got his wish and fought them only to be beaten horribly. Nel took down his soldiers while the engineers attacked him. If he had fought them one-on-one, then he probably could have won. It was the first time since his father's death that he felt like a weakling. He let out a frustrated cry as they gathered the wounded women and left. He vowed that the next time he ever saw them, he wouldn't play around. He would have his revenge, especially on Nel even though she didn't insult him like the worms did, but she didn't have to unintentionally sway her hips like that as she walked away.

Unfortunately, his vow of vengeance was crushed when Vox accused Albel of treason for letting them get away for the second time. He was immediately sent to the dungeons where he went through weeks of hell until Woltar came down to release him. But the terms of his release included a task that was more outrageous than the story the old man told him. He was to help their former enemy tame the Marquis so they could fight against a new enemy from another world. He was more surprised that the war was over and that Vox was dead. So surprised that he forgot that he wanted to gut the two maggots who defeated him and make the red haired wench squirm in his grasp.

He got to know the 'off-worlders' a little better during the journey through the Barr Mountains. The one called 'Cliff' was infuriating at times and seemed to be the biggest fool around. Despite the strength he possessed, Albel wonder how he had ever survived thus far. He never had seen the 'Maria' maggot before and didn't care to get to know her better. She used an odd weapon and moved slowly when fighting, but what made him keep his distance from her was her strange personality. She was too calm and seldom seemed to even have emotions and that unnerved him. Then there was Fayt. A boy who could barley hold his sword correctly and proved countless times that he clearly did not know what he was doing. And yet, his persistence proved to be a strength that Albel respected.

So now there were four people in the world he respected, the king, Woltar (to some extent), Nel, and the blue haired earthling. Albel was worried that he was growing soft so one night when the group spent the night in Peterny, he awakened the fool and asked if he hated him. He figured that if he knew that the Fayt hated him, then he could return to being his enemy once the journey through the lava caves were over. But his answer and reason behind it made Albel realize that Fayt was nothing but a naive little boy that lived in a fantasy world. The maggot didn't hate him even after he tried to kill him. Albel never had any regrets over the people he murdered on and off the battlefield and earned the hatred of countless others. His ruthlessness was what made him Albel the Wicked and yet the boy said he didn't hate him. Would he sing the same tune when they face each other in battle again and Albel defeated him? Though, like his feelings for Nel, his thoughts went the opposite direction and he ended up respecting the foolish leader more.

He kept a certain distance from the small group, especially from Nel. Even if the war was over and the kingdoms were going through a truce, he doubted that sparks would fly between them. She didn't show any signs that she liked him at all. She avoided him the best she could and never talked to him unless it was necessary. He tried to abandon the feelings he had for her, but they only resulted in getting stronger. When they set up camp for the night, he found that he didn't have nightmares when she was around, but he did have 'Nel' dreams and every morning he'd wake up to a big, uncomfortable problem.

The off-worlders always set up something called a 'force-field' that protected them from unwanted visits from monsters so no one would have to take shifts to watch over the camp. Such luxuries had made them deep sleepers, except the Cliff maggot for some reason. Albel and Nel were ready to jump up at the slightest sound. So every morning, there was no one to notice him leave to take care of his problem since Nel refused to acknowledge him, though sometimes the large maggot would get nosey and asked him where he was going.

His kept the same attitude towards everyone, insulting them and threatening them at every turn or when they tried to carry on a conversation with him. Sometimes he'd go out of his way to tell Nel her weaknesses in battle and relished the angry look she'd give him before she ignored him. In a twisted way, he was flirting with her. He listed in his mind all the things he loved about her and then soon realized that he too was living in a fantasy world just like Fayt. Nel hated him, or at least she should hate him, he almost forgot that the dreams every night were nothing more than just his imagination. He needed to get over her, but found it too hard. He decided to ask her if she hated him so that her words could slap him back to reality. The plan shouldn't backfire like it did with the boy because she was no idiot.

Albel waited until they had set up camp at the mouth of the ruins inside the cave. It didn't take long for the worms to fall asleep, but he waited until the blonde maggot began snoring loudly before he silently got up and walked over to where the crimson haired woman was slumbering. She immediately rolled over and had a hand ready to unsheathe a dagger when he was close enough, but relaxed when he sat down a few feet away from her.

"What do you want?" she whispered harshly.

"I'm not here to pick a fight, I only want to ask you a question," he started as he crossed his arms. Nel's expression changed from agitated to curious as she sat up in her makeshift bedding.

"What is it?"

"Do you…hate me?"

"What?" She stared at him with a shocked expression, "Why would you ask something like that?"

"Just answer the question," he snapped, "Though the answer is obvious…"

"No," she replied suddenly before she turned and lay down with her back facing him. Albel raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You heard me, I don't hate you."

"You don't have to lie, I'm not going to kill you if I hear something I don't like."

"But it's true. I don't hate you, but that doesn't mean that I don't despise you."

"Hmph." Despise wasn't even close to hate and there was no way her response was true. He killed a lot of her people and enjoyed tearing them limb from limb if they attempted to put up a fight. Someone like him should be hated, not despised.

"Besides," she continued as she glanced at him through the corner of her eye, "If I should hate anyone, then it would be Vox for it was he who wanted the war and also your king for listening to him."

"But I was the one who started the attack," he argued.

"Yes, but you were only following orders. You didn't look too happy when you called off your men back then, nor did you have the look of victory. If you had looked like you enjoyed slaughtering my people, then I would have hated you."

No he didn't have fun during the attack on Arias because he was ordered to play dirty with a pre-emptive strike. On the battlefield, he preferred to fight soldiers, no matter how horrible a fighter they were. He didn't like, however, fighting screaming little girls.

"What about at the Bequerel Mountain Path? I enjoyed taking down your worthless subordinates there," he inquired in a last attempt to contradict her.

"But you didn't kill them, and for that I am grateful." She didn't receive a response from him that time and faced him after a brief pause, "Was my answer good enough for you?"

"I guess," he muttered as he stood up and made his way back to his bed spread.

He was disappointed at how the conversation turned out. She didn't hate him and she didn't like him. It didn't push him away from her nor did it bring him closer to her. He was stuck and frustrated. The next day, though, took a different turn when he noticed that she was staring at him constantly. He felt her eyes on him every time they fought in battle and when they journeyed through the ruins. It didn't seem like she was watching his every move like she was suspicious of him and he was certain that there was nothing strange on him for her to stare at. If there was, then one of the maggots would have been glad to point it out if they were not the ones who placed it on him.

Eventually, they ran out of supplies and had to retrace their steps back to the Bequerel Mountain Path so they could ride the dragons to Peterny. Albel once again had to scare off the women who flocked to him. They were always asking him to spend the night with them with sly grins and lust filled eyes, but as long as he was in Aquaria territory, the worst he could do to them was threaten them away because a certain red haired Crimson Blade would have his head should he harm anyone. When he was finished gathering his supplies, he headed towards the meeting place early so he could escape the annoying wenches and ended running into Nel, who had apparently been watching him the entire time. He was about yell at her to get out of his way when he noticed that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were darkened over like the other women's. What happened to her despising him?

It seemed that Nel was struck with the same malady that he had; she was becoming attracted to her enemy, well former enemy. Albel let out a slow, evil grin as he walked past Nel. Even if she didn't love him, it was still a start. He was willing to act upon his desires if she felt the same way, but he would have to warn her that she would belong to him if she were to share a bed with him. He slowly shook his head. No, that's not right, she had sealed her fate. She was going to be his whether she liked or not and no other man shall touch her.

Albel took one last look over his shoulder at his red haired warrior before he continued on to where the dragons were waiting. He would have to wait until they finished the mission before he could claim her, but at least those annoying dreams wouldn't be so frustrating anymore.

* * *

Wow, this is my fourth Alnel and my fifth SO fic. So much for 'A Great Plan with a Hint of Blackmail' being my 'first and probably only' SO fic. Either there's something addictive about Albel and Nel or I need to say that every time I join a new fandom. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the one-shot and if you want to check out 'Curious Obsession' (If you hadn't read it already) it's on AdultFanfiction(dot)Net the link to it is in my author profile.


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